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I have been offered a teaching position, starting in the middle of August, and I will be moving from the Philadelphia area.

I am looking for a location between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, because I could be placed at one of those two locations for my job.

I am looking to spend around $1,000 and $1,2000 because I am single, with no car payment or credit card bills (except student loans) and am making $40,000 p/y.

I would like to move into an apartment or condo community, that is safe, clean, updated, etc. Does anyone have suggestions of area or community that I could contact? This is a big move and am hoping this community of Floridians can make my transition a little easier.

An apartment or condo between Boca and Ft Lauderdale is pretty general. It would be easier to help you if you provided more information. Do you want to be near the beach? Do you want to be near night life? Do you want a gated community?

I'd like to be in a gated community if it is not out of the price range. I don't mind driving to the beach, considering I currently live 2 hours away from the nearest beach. Anything shorter than that for me is a treat. Haha

It would be nice to be near some night life, but again, I don't mind driving or riding my motorcycle.

Port Royale Apartments- located in NE Fort Lauderdale. Rents are between $1000-1100 for a 1BR apt. It is a gated community near the Intracoastal Waterway. Units are very small and it can be noisy. There are also tons of dogs barking. Aside from that, it is a good community, good management, and a good location. It is about 2-3 miles from the nearest beach. About 15 mins from downtown Ft Lauderdale, and 25 minutes from Boca Raton.

Other places to look- Coconut Creek and Coral Springs are nice areas with cheaper rents and more apartment for your money than the east side. They are further west, so further from the beach. They are also more laid back, family oriented suburbs.

$40,000 is enough. But you're limited to the suburbs or lower-end apartments on the east side. For example, you cannot afford to live in Las Olas if you make $40,000. Most of the rents are $1700+ for a 1BR, 1bath apartment. But you can find affordable rents in places like Davie, Plantation, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, and Deerfield Beach. Pompano Beach lacks middle-class safe apartment complexes. The beach condos are really the only option. So that's why I mentioned Port Royale. It is in a good location in NE Fort Lauderdale and is one of the few communities where rents are around $1000 which is affordable for someone making $40,000/year.

I am looking for something in between Boca and Fort Lauderdale, that's why I was asking about Star Pointe. The place you mentioned isn't really between the two. I don't mind living in the suburbs, since that is what I live in currently.

Everywhere I mentioned is between Boca and Fort Lauderdale, except Davie and Plantation. Your options are very limited if you're looking right off I-95. There are lots of bad neighborhoods in those parts. You may have to deviate a bit east or west to find what you're looking for.

Star Pointe- Not familiar with the exact community, but it is on Cocoplum Drive which is a nice subsection. It is about 1 mile west of Florida's Turnpike on Sample Road and 3 miles west of I-95. So you'll have to veer east 1-3 miles before you're able to commute southbound or northbound.

Hi Chris - I lived in South FL (just barely west of the turnpike) for many years. I had various jobs over the years that required commutes as far north as Lantana, and as far south as Miami Lakes. The worst commutes, however, are the East/West commutes. I would take into consideration exactly where the two schools are located. Are they both west of the turnpike, east of I-95, or somewhere in between?

I briefly lived in Coral Springs and commuted to east Boca. Although it was only 12 miles one way, it would take 45-50 minutes regardless of which route I'd take (and I tried them all). When I lived in West Boca and drove the same distance to Ft Lauderdale it would take only 20-25 minutes. The reason....my commute from Boca to Ft Laud was a straight shot down either Powerline or Lyons Rd. The Coral Spgs to east Boca was a zig-zag commute from west to east....which is a nightmare.

As a general rule, the worst neighborhoods are the ones closest to I-95.

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